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While the transition from living solo to living with a newborn may be difficult for your toddler at first, many kids actually end up really enjoying bunking together. In fact, sharing a room sometimes even helps siblings fall asleep easier, develop a deeper bond and learn valuable lessons about sharing, communicating and problem-solving. In the meantime, you can help create a positive room-sharing experience for your toddler and new baby.

Room-sharing challenges

While siblings sharing a room can conjure up sweet thoughts of them giggling before bedtime and making their own early morning playdates, there are bound to be challenges, especially when one of the children sharing the room is still a baby. You'll need to:

Train your toddler to practice acceptable roommate behavior, like being quiet when the baby is sleeping

Despite the challenges involved, two siblings sharing a room can be beneficial for all involved, and there are things you can do while you're preparing for your baby that can ensure that.

When and how to start room sharing

Before you get set on your children sharing a room, take time to ease your toddler's transition from only child to big sibling. Consider keeping your newborn's crib in your room during the early months. Co-sleeping (or a newborn sharing a room with parents for the first few months) is actually recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to help prevent SIDS — plus it can help make those middle-of-the-night feedings faster and easier on you and give your older child more time to get used to sharing his life with the new baby in the house.

During those first few months, talk up your toddler's new baby sibling in positive ways so he'll have something to look forward to when the room-share becomes a reality. If possible, wait until your newborn is sleeping five to six hours at a stretch before moving the crib into the room with your toddler.

Tips for smoothing the transition

To make the start of your children sharing a room go more smoothly, try these tips:

Give your toddler the lowdown. Explain that you'll be coming in to feed the baby at night and that he shouldn't worry if he hears the baby crying. The first few times your infant does wake him up, just pat your toddler on the back and let him know everything's okay and he should go back to sleep. After a while, he'll get used to hearing you come in to feed the baby and he'll know to settle down and drift off to dreamland on his own.

Stagger bedtimes. If the baby goes down at 7:00 p.m., delay your toddler's bedtime a bit with a few extra stories and tuck him in at 7:30 p.m. He'll appreciate being made to feel like a big boy by staying up later than the baby — and getting to spend extra time with you. To turn that special time into more of a treat, give your toddler a choice of where he wants to read. For instance, let him decide if he wants storytime in your bed or a cozy chair in the family room.

Create separate but equal spaces. Corral smaller items that can be choking hazards, such as miniature cars and tiny blocks, in baskets or bins and keep them on a higher shelf where your toddler can reach them but the baby can't. The baby's toys can be put on lower shelves or in containers under the crib where he can easily grab them once he starts crawling. Special toddler-only projects, like block castles or train tracks, should be built on a play table in another room so the baby doesn't accidentally knock them down. Additionally, consider letting your toddler have a say in how his new space is decorated to help give him a sense of ownership over his domain.

Turn the experience into a teachable moment. One of the many upsides of siblings sharing a room is that your toddler gets a chance to shine as the big brother and learn about respect and responsibility. When he wakes up before his baby brother, for example, encourage him to get up quietly and close the door gently before he comes to see you, rather than poking his head into the baby's crib and belting out a wake-up song.